Preservative-free eye drops_preservative-free eye drops

Nowadays, many office workers often use eye drops. After facing the computer for a long time, their eyes will become dry. In addition, excessive fatigue will cause tears to flow frequently. Even when yawning, tears will continue to flow. In order to make the eyes more moisturized, they will choose to use eye drops. However, when choosing eye drops, they need to pay attention that eye drops without preservatives will be safer.

Validity Period

Hormones

1. Food has a "shelf life", while medicine should have an "expiration date". .

2. The shelf life of eye drops refers to the period of validity of the eye drops when they are unopened (i.e. the bottle cap is not opened).

3. The package is valid at any time during the validity period. If it is over the validity period, it will be invalid regardless of whether it is opened or not.

4. The shelf life of eye drops after opening the bottle cap is generally 1 month. Why don't most eye drops indicate this period? That's because the length of this "time" is closely related to the season, the environment of the placement, and the patient's usage habits (such as whether the drops come into contact with the eyes, etc.), and this time cannot be accurately determined.

5. The shelf life of unopened eye drops is generally 1 to 3 years, which is stated in detail on the drug instructions. Once the bottle cap is opened, the validity period is generally 1 month, and patients should use it within one month. Otherwise, expired medicine will not only be ineffective, but may also easily cause allergic and toxic reactions.

So how many days is the shelf life? In the past, many ophthalmic preparations did not give any detailed explanation on this. Now, if you can carefully read the instructions for use of each ophthalmic preparation before use, you can almost always find such a note in the densely packed handwriting as fine as a fly's head: "Ophthalmic preparations can be used for a maximum of 4 weeks after activation."

The reason behind the rule of "up to 4 weeks of use" is not complicated, because among the precautions in the instructions for use of general ophthalmic preparations, there is actually one more item: "Do not let the bottle mouth touch the eyes when applying eye drops, and tighten the bottle cap after use to avoid contaminating the medicine." Experts explain this as follows: once ophthalmic preparations are opened, they can easily be contaminated by microorganisms in tears and the air during use and storage, thus creating safety risks.

In fact, in the past, every ophthalmic preparation (including various antibiotic eye drops) was added with antibacterial agents (also known as preservatives) during production. However, because antibacterial agents themselves can also have an effect on ocular tissue cells, if the amount added exceeds a certain concentration, it will also have a certain damaging effect on ocular tissue cells. Therefore, foreign countries [1] have gradually switched to the production of disposable ophthalmic preparations to resolve this contradiction. Due to price factors, China stipulates a time limit after activation (4 weeks) to ensure user safety.

Experts point out that most eye diseases are usually treated with eye drops or eye ointments, which are applied directly to the surface of the eye. Therefore, the actual safety and effectiveness period of ophthalmic preparations is of great importance. However, if you look through the instructions for use of many ophthalmic preparations, even if the statement "ophthalmic preparations can be used for up to 4 weeks after activation" has been added, it is often listed at the end of many matters. In addition, the handwriting in such instructions is small, and real eye disease patients can seldom see it clearly. People often only recognize the production batch number, production date, and expiration date indicated on the product packaging, which can easily lead to negligence or even misleading.

The relevant drug sales department once conducted a random sampling survey on customers who came to buy various types of eye drops. The result showed that less than 10% of the customers knew that "it can be used for up to 4 weeks after activation". Experts have called for such precautions, which are very important for the health and safety of patients with eye diseases, to be clearly marked on the outer packaging of various eye preparations with eye-catching reminders. The medical department should provide reminders, and the production department has the responsibility to make it clear that the expiration date does not equal the usage period.

Saving Tips

If you suffer from an eye disease, your doctor will prescribe some eye drops for you. So, how should we store the eye drops we take home so that they will not be polluted or deteriorate, and can better exert their therapeutic effect?

1. Eye drops should be placed in a cool, dry and ventilated place. If conditions permit, they can be placed in the refrigerator (4°C is sufficient). If the temperature is too high, it will easily deteriorate.

2. Before use, check whether the eye drops are clear and transparent, and whether there is any discoloration or mold clumps. Please make sure to use it up within the specified time.

3. Tighten the cap after each use to reduce the chance of contamination and leakage of medicine.

4. Eye drops must be stored separately from other aqueous medicines. We have encountered two cases of patients who mistakenly put athlete's foot water and small bottles of iodine tincture (iodine wine) into their eyes as eye drops, causing eye burns.

5. Write your name on the eye drops bottle to avoid making the wrong choice. For example, atropine-type drugs are mydriatic drugs. If used by the elderly, they may induce glaucoma. In severe cases, vision loss or even blindness may occur. Timothy eye drops are used to treat glaucoma. This drug has a certain impact on the heart. If used too much, heart disease may occur, and the condition of those who already have heart disease will be aggravated.